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10 Tips to Keep Your Teeth Healthy and White

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Written by Gage Dental Care

Published: 19 October 2017

If you have a dentist in Bell, CA, you have probably wondered how you can keep your teeth white and healthy between visits. Well, of course, your Los Angeles dentist visits are important, but having healthy teeth starts with having good dental hygiene at home. Don't forget that having bad oral hygiene can lead to heart disease, so here are 10 great tips to help you stay healthy.

Brush Properly

Simply brushing your teeth on occasion is not enough to keep your smile healthy. In fact, you need to brush your teeth for two minutes each time you brush, and you need to make sure that you are brushing each area of your teeth. You also need to brush up and down as well as back and forth to make sure to clean all of the bacteria from your teeth. Don't forget that brushing twice a day is also important, specifically, you should brush before you go to bed and in the morning when you wake up.

Floss Regularly

Brushing does not clean every aspect of your mouth, and there are some hard to reach spots between your teeth that you will need to floss. Food can get stuck between your teeth when you eat, so flossing is a great way to remove the food particles to improve the health of your teeth. When food is left between your teeth, it can affect your gums and give you bad breath. Flossing may be hard to do on the go, but you should make it a habit to floss at least once a day.

Use Mouthwash

Using mouthwash alone is not going to clean your teeth, but if you use it after you've brushed and flossed, then it will be able to gently rinse away any of the food residue and the bacteria that you missed. Some mouthwash is even designed to strengthen your teeth, which is a great way to maintain a healthy smile.

Don't Forget Your Tongue

Remember, dental hygiene refers to your entire mouth, which is why it is important to clean your tongue as well. Brushing and flossing will only remove the bacteria from your teeth, but scraping the bacteria from your tongue with a tongue scraper can help keep your mouth as healthy as possible. Keeping your tongue clean is also a great way to keep your breath fresh.

Don't Smoke

Any dentist in Bell, CA will tell you that smoking is bad for you, not only because of the health risks that it poses but because it will also stain your teeth. Smoking gives you bad breath, which means that you will eat mints, candies, or other things to try to freshen your breath. This can lead to tooth decay and gum disease.

Avoid Food and Drinks that Stain

Tobacco is not the only thing that can stain your teeth; in fact, things that you eat and drink on a daily basis can stain your teeth. Dark soda, coffee, black tea, and red wine can all discolor your pearly whites. This alone is more of a cosmetic issue, but the sugar and the phosphorus in these drinks can lead to tooth decay, so many Los Angeles dentists suggest drinking these types of beverages through a straw.

Eat Teeth Cleaning Foods

Have you ever heard of an apple being called "nature's toothbrush?" Well, biting into an apple and chewing it up can actually help clean your teeth; in fact, there are a few foods that have this effect like celery, carrots, and even popcorn.

Use Fluoride

Fluoride, which can be found in most toothpaste and mouthwash, is actually a great way to strengthen your teeth. Some dentists in Bell, CA recommend leaving a little bit of fluoride from your toothpaste on your teeth before you go to bed.

Change Your Tooth Brush Frequently

Most Los Angeles dentists recommend that you change the head on an electric toothbrush or purchase a new one to use every two to three months. This helps prevent the bacteria that forms on your toothbrush overtime from being transferred back into your mouth. Make sure that you purchase a toothbrush that is able to get into the spaces between your teeth and the crevices of your molars to make sure your teeth get a thorough cleaning.

Visit Your Dentist Regularly

Your teeth are an important part of your dental and overall hygiene, and even though you are taking precautions to keep your teeth healthy and white you will need to get your teeth cleaned and make sure that you have a healthy mouth. Combine dentist visits at Gage Dental Care with the tips that are listed here so that your mouth will be healthy, fresh, and clean.